The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a bicycle luggage carrier equipped with a recognition and safety device, which is of the type comprising a holder bracket hingedly connected at the rear end of a frame and loaded by a spring arranged at the region of the hinge connection, and a rearwardly directed support plate structured for supporting or taking-up reflectors.
In French Pat. No. 1,388,065 there is taught such type of bicycle luggage carrier which satisfactorily complies with the prevailing traffic safety requirements, especially that the user be noticeably visible in darkness.
With the heretofore known luggage carriers the support plate -- instead of the rear fender of the bicycle -- equipped for supporting the reflectors, is clamped between two downwardly directed sections or support struts of the frame of the luggage carrier. At the upper end of these sections or support struts there merge two horizontal, forwardly extending side webs or struts of the frame which are interconnected by a horizontal strut. At this strut there is hingedly connected the holder bracket which is loaded by the spring.
It has been found that in the case of bicycle luggage carriers of this type, it is especially the hinge locations of the holder bracket which can constitute the cause of unpleasant side effects during use. Such side effects include, for example, disturbances in the functionality of the more or less freely accessible spring due to foreign objects which are clamped therein, whether such emanate from the luggage or other articles which are to be fixedly held or contaminants. Also, and especially one of the more unpleasant side effects is injury which can be caused by the spring during use of the bicycle equipped with the luggage carrier. This explains why recently the various regulatory agencies or authorities responsible for issuing permits for bicycles or the like have placed greater demands upon the requirements for such luggage carriers before permitting their use.